Stackable pallet system

ABSTRACT

A pallet stacking system for storing and transporting a load is disclosed. The pallet system may be utilized to store and transport a single level or two or more levels of drums. The pallet stacking system may include a base pallet and, in some embodiments, may further include one or more dividers that interpose and permit stacking of the load levels. The base pallet includes a top side having one or more recesses formed therein that receive a load such as a barrel such that the load is nested within the base pallet, as well as a bottom side with one or more elongated base legs that define gaps that may receive the forks of a forklift. The divider may include a top surface having a recess for receiving an upper level load therein such that the upper level load is nested within the divider, as well as a bottom surface having a bulge that is nested within a top of the lower level load.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Patent Application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/432,257 filed on Dec. 9, 2016, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

A pallet is commonly used in various industries for transporting and storing a load and for providing structure to the load so that the load may be lifted by a forklift. A pallet may be made of wood, plastic, or metal, for example, and act as a structural foundation for a load. In particular, a pallet provides strength in its structure for the purpose of standing strong and providing the necessary support and structure, not only to keep the load off and above ground, but also to withstand the stress that may be caused underneath, for example, by the forks of a forklift.

In one particular application, as illustrated by the example of a commonly used stackable pallet system 100 in FIG. 1, a known pallet 102 may be used with a load 103, which may include including one or more drums or barrels, or stacks of the same. The known pallets 102 may be used to facilitate shipment and storage of a load 103 that is a stack of multiple articles or containers on top of one another, as illustrated, where a first level of drums 104 is separated from a second level of drums 106 by an identical pallet 102. The known pallets 102 may be rigid in order to provide structure to the stackable pallet system 100.

The known pallets 102, however, may be bulky and heavy which may add extra weight to the load 103. In addition, known pallets 102 may take up significant space, in the vertical or horizontal dimensions. Specifically, on a known pallet 102, the distance between the bottom of the drum 104 and a floor 110 (or the distance between the drum 106 and the next drum 106 below) is equal to the full height of the pallet 102. Accordingly, stacking loads 103 having multiple levels of drums 104,106 may not be possible because the load 103 may be too tall for a particular transport truck or receiving warehouse. For example, the vertical dimension of three (3) or more levels of drums secured via the known pallets 102 may be too tall for a particular warehouse.

In addition, the known pallets 102 that are made of wood often require special treatment before being exported or imported in order to avoid potential disease transmission. Also, known pallets 102 made from wood are expensive to purchase and maintain, and are susceptible to fracture which necessitates costly replacement. Moreover, the known pallet 102 may have a smooth load surface 112 that allows the load 103 to slide side to side when the pallet 102 is shifted, unless the known pallet 102 includes some form of surface finish or restraint to prevent shifting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, structures are illustrated that, together with the detailed description provided below, describe exemplary embodiments of the claimed invention and should not be viewed as exclusive embodiments. Like elements are identified with the same reference numerals. It should be understood that elements shown as a single component may be replaced with multiple components, and elements shown as multiple components may be replaced with a single component. The drawings are not to scale and the proportion of certain elements may be exaggerated for the purpose of illustration. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modifications, alterations, combinations, and equivalents in form and function, without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example known stackable pallet system.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example pallet stacking system.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example base pallet of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example base pallet of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrates an example divider of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is related to pallets and, more particularly, to stackable pallet systems having a reduced size as compared to conventional pallet systems.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example pallet stacking system 200 for storing and transporting a load according to one or more embodiments. As illustrated, the pallet stacking system 200 may include a base pallet 202 and one or more dividers 204 to stack a load that, in the illustrated embodiment, is a plurality of lower barrels or drums 206 and a plurality of upper barrels or drums 208 arranged thereon. In other embodiments, the pallet stacking system 200 is arranged to stack and secure other loads, including but not limited to boxes, buckets, containers, kegs, etc., any of which may have any number of geometries. However, while the pallet stacking system 200 may be utilized to store and secure a variety of different types of articles, it is hereinafter described with reference to the drums 206,208. It will be appreciated that, while various types of material-handling equipment may be utilized with the pallet stacking system 200, the pallet stacking system 200 is hereinafter described in use with a forklift.

The pallet stacking system 200 utilizes the rigidity of the drums 206,208 in order to provide a multiple-level load stacking system that minimizes a total height H of the stack or load (e.g., the stacked drums 206,208) from the floor or other underlying support surface, and also prevents horizontal displacement of the load. Here, the stack or load includes a stack of two layers of drums (i.e., the drums 206,208); however, the stack or load may instead comprise more than two (2) layers of drums (i.e., the drums 206,208 plus a third row on top of the drums 208) or a single layer of drums (i.e., the drums 206). Thus, it will be appreciated that the total height H of the stack or load may be larger or smaller than that illustrated in FIG. 2 depending on whether the stack or load includes more or less than the drums 206,208, respectively. In particular, the pallet stacking system 200 uses the rigidity of the drums 206,208 to provide a structure to overall stacking system 200. Thus, stacking multiple rigid pallets 102 in between two (2) or more levels of the drums 104,106 to form the known pallet system 100 described in FIG. 1 is not necessary to organize the plurality of drums 104,106 in a space-efficient manner. Rather, the lightweight pallet stacking system 200 may be utilized to enable efficient stacking of three (3) or more levels of drums 204,206 as hereinafter described.

FIG. 3 is a top view of an example of the base pallet 202 of the pallet stacking system 200, according to one or more embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, the base plate 202 has a top side 203T that receives the drum 206 as described below, as well as a bottom side 203B that may lay on a floor or other underlying support surface during use. As illustrated, the top side 203T of the base pallet 202 includes at least one (1) round pocket or recess 210 that is sized to receive a bottom end face 206B of the drum 206 so that the drum 206 fits securely into the recess 210 and nests inside the base pallet 202. The nesting of the drum 206 inside the base pallet 202 helps prevent the drum 206 from horizontal movement, meaning the drum 206 is less likely to shift or slide when being transported or stored on warehouse floors that are not level. This further helps prevent the drums 206 from bumping into or rubbing into each other during transport, thereby preventing or reducing potential cargo damage. In some embodiments, several recesses 210 are provided that are each sized to fit drums 206 having differently sized end faces 206B. Also, the recesses 210 may be provided to fit the exact circumference of the drum 206 end face, or sized larger than the bottom end face 206B of the drum 206 so that it may be utilized with various sized drums 206.

The recesses 210 are also illustrated in FIG. 4, which is a bottom view of the base pallet 202 according to one (1) or more embodiments. As illustrated, the base pallet 202 includes four (4) recesses 210 that extend from the top side 203T into the bottom side 203B. However, it should be appreciated that, although the example base pallet 202 is illustrated to include four (4) recesses 210 for receiving four (4) drums 206, the base plate 202 may include any suitable number of recesses 210 for receiving any suitable number of drums 206. It should be further appreciated that although the example base pallet 202 is illustrated to include recesses 210 that are round in shape, the pockets 210 may be of any suitable shape for receiving other cargo of different shapes and sizes. For example, the recesses 210 may be square for receiving one (1) or more rectangular shaped boxes.

In the illustrated embodiment, the base pallet 202 further includes one (1) or more elongated base legs 212 extending along the bottom side 203B. The elongated base legs 212 form a gap or separation 214 between the floor and a main body 202B of the base pallet 202, and this gap 214 creates a clearance between the base pallet 202 and the floor. The gap 214 includes a gap ceiling 214C that rests upon the forklift forks during use and, therefore, the gap 214 provides room for a forklift to slide under the base pallet 202, such that its forks may be raised into contact with the gap ceiling 214C in order to lift and transport the base pallet 202 along with any drums 206 received on the top side 203T of the base pallet 202. Where two (2) or more elongated base legs 212 are provided, one (1) or more channels 215 are formed there-between, within which one (1) or more forks of a forklift may be inserted. In such embodiments, the channels 215 are defined by the floor, the elongated base legs 212, and the gap ceiling 214C there-between.

In addition to the recesses 210, the base pallet 202 may further include one (1) or more elongated pockets 216 on the top side 203T and, in some embodiments, the one (1) or more elongated pockets 216 each correspond in size and/or position to the elongated legs 212 on the bottom side 203B. In the illustrated embodiment, the elongated pockets 216 are sized and shaped such that when a second base pallet 202 (not illustrated) is aligned on top of the first base pallet 202, the elongated legs 212 on the bottom side of the second base pallet 202 align with and nest inside of the elongated pockets 216 on the top side 203T of the first base pallet 202. Thus, the base pallets 202 may be stacked and nested when not in use in order to conserve space, for example, when the base pallets 202 are being transported from the manufacturer to the warehouse end-user.

It should be appreciated that the height of the base pallet 202 is minimized, which in turn reduces the overall height of the loads stacked thereon. For example, the height of the elongated legs 212 may be minimized to a height just slightly above the height necessary for a forklift's forks to fit inside the gap 214 under the pallet 202. For example, if the forks of a forklift lower to a height of two (2) inches above the floor, then the gap 214 may extend to a height of three (3) inches or two and one-half (2.5) inches above the floor. In addition, the height of the body 202B of the base pallet 202 that separates the drum 206 from the forks of the forklift and forms the bottom of the recesses 210 may be minimized, for example, to a thin sheet, which further minimizes the total height H of the load or stack. In some embodiments, the height or thickness of the body 202B as measured from a base 210B of the recesses 210 the gap ceiling 214C of the gap 214 may be minimized, for example, to form thin trays. Thus, the combination of the minimized base pallet 202 height in combination with the ability to nest the drums 206 inside the base pallet 202 results in a reduced overall height h of the drum 206 stacked on top of the base pallet 202 since the distance between the bottom end face 206B of the drum 206 and the floor is less than the full height of the base pallet 202.

In some embodiments, the pallet stacking system 200 includes a divider 204 that facilitates secure and sturdy stacking of a second layer or stack of drums on top of the first layer or stack of drums, while still minimizing the total height H of the load. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the divider 204 may be interposed between the drums 206,208 and utilized to facilitate stacking of the second drum 208 on top of the first drum 206 while still minimizing the overall height H of the stacked drums 206 and 208 as hereinafter described. Because the forklift will raise the upper drum 208 on a second level simultaneously with the lower drum 206 on a lower level, the upper drum 208 doesn't require room underneath it for the forklift forks to slide or be positioned. Therefore, the divider 204 may be provided with a minimum height or thickness and need not include elongated legs 212 to form a gap 214, as described above with respect to the base pallet 202. In the illustrated embodiment, the divider 204 is arranged to rest in-between the bottom drum 206 and the top drum 208 without creating any gap in-between that is sufficient to receive a forklift fork. It will be appreciated that using the divider 204 that is slim and has a minimal thickness, rather than a second base pallet 202, to separate levels of drums further aids in reducing the total height H of the load.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate the divider 204 utilized in FIG. 2, according to one or more embodiments. In one example, the divider 204 has a bottom side 302 and a top side 304, and includes a recess or pocket 306 on the top side 302 for receiving a bottom end face 208B of the drum 208, similar to the recess 210 on the top side 203T of the base pallet 202. As with the base pallet 202, the pocket 306 on the top side 304 of the divider 204 allows for the drum 208 to nest inside the divider 204. The nesting of the drum 208 inside the divider 204 helps prevent the drum 208 from horizontal movement. In some embodiments, the pocket 306 on the top side 304 of the divider 204 is circular and sized to receive the bottom end face 208B of the drum 208 in a close or tight fitting fashion. It will be appreciated, however, that in other embodiments the pocket 306 on the top side 304 of the divider 204 may have different geometries and sizes as detailed above with respect to the recesses 210.

In this example, the divider 204 may further include a bulge 218 at the bottom side 302 of the divider 204 that is arranged to nest into or within a top side 206T the drum 206. The nesting of the divider 204 into the top side of a drum 206 further helps prevent the drums 206 and 208 from lateral movement. In addition, the bulge 218 at the bottom side 302 of the divider 204 is further configured to nest into the top side pocket of a second divider 204. Thus, multiple dividers 204 may be stacked and nested when not in use to conserve space. Here, the bulge 218 is a round protrusion or structure extending down from the bottom side 302 of the divider 204. In other non-illustrated embodiments, the divider 204 includes, in addition to or in lieu of the bulge 218, a ring or sleeve that extends down from the bottom side 302 of the divider 204 and receives an outer periphery or circumference of the top side 206T such that the drum 206 nests within the divider 204. In embodiments where the ring or sleeve is provided in addition to the bulge 218, the ring or sleeve may be provided coaxial with the bulge 218. It will be appreciated that, the ring or sleeve (within which the top side 206T of the drum 206 nests) will have a larger diameter than the top side 206T and, moreover, that this ring or sleeve may have various sizes and geometries depending on the application, as detailed above.

Also in this embodiment, the divider 204 includes a plurality of corner support structures 308 arranged at the corners of the divider 204. The corner support structures 308 provide corner support to the upper drums 208 stacked within the recess 306 of the divider 204. While four (4) such corner support structures 308 are illustrated, it will be appreciated that more or less may be provided in various symmetrical or non-symmetrical arrangements depending on the type of load secured above and below the divider 204. Also in the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of perimeter portions 310 are arranged between the corner support structures 308 and, in at least some embodiments, they are serrated with a plurality of ridges 312.

It should be appreciated that although the pallet stacking system 200 is illustrated as being used for stacking two (2) levels of drums, multiple levels of drums may be stacked using the pallet stacking system 200. For example, the pallet stacking system 200 may be used to stack three (3) or more levels of drums. As a result of the reduced overall height H of the stack of drums using the pallet stacking system 200, the height of a three (3) level drum stack may be utilized to the extent it meets the cargo height size constraints of particular receiving warehouse and/or truck.

The base pallet 202 and the divider 204 may be manufactured from any number of materials. In one example, the base pallet 202 and the divider 204 are made of either plastic or a composite material. In even other embodiments, the base pallet 202 and the divider 204 are manufactured from a light-weight metal such as aluminum or titanium. It should be further appreciated that both the base pallet 202 and the divider 204 toned not be manufactured from the same material. For example, the base pallet 202 may include a first material while the divider 204 may include a second material that is different from the first material.

In other unillustrated embodiments, the base pallet 202 is provided without the elongated base legs 212 so that the base pallet 202 may lie flat on the floor, for example, of a truck. In some of these embodiments, the base pallet 202 is provided with two (2) recesses 210, whereas in other embodiments the base pallet 202 is provided with four (4) recesses 210; however, it will be appreciated that other numbers of recesses 210 may be utilized. In these embodiments, the base pallet 202 may be positioned on the floor of a truck and the drums 206 may be locked within the recesses 210 therein. In addition, dividers 204 having a corresponding number of recesses 306 may be disposed on top of such base pallets 202 to both secure the lower drums 206 and facilitate loading of a second level of drums 208. Moreover, a second divider 204 may be disposed on top of the second level of drums 208, and such second divider 204 will both secure the second level of drums 208 and facilitate loading of a third row of drums on top of the second level of drums 208. Further, the base pallet 202 without the elongated base legs 212 may be placed on top of the upper most level of drums (e.g., the third row of drums) and utilized as a cap to secure the level of drums beneath it (e.g., the third row of drums). In embodiments utilizing just two levels of drums 206,208, the base pallet 202 without the elongated base legs 212 will be positioned on top of the upper drums 208, whereas when it's utilized with four (4) or more levels of drums, it will be placed on top of the upper most level of drums. Also, a dampener (not illustrated) such as a piece of foam may be positioned on top of the base pallet 202 without the elongated base legs 212 that is being utilized as a cap, thereby bracing the stack of drums, for example, against the ceiling of a truck. In one embodiment, a piece of dense foam is utilized as the dampener; however, other materials may be utilized to brace the levels. As will be appreciated, the above example keeps the drums from shifting during transit, thereby preventing freight damage.

To the extent that the term “includes” or “including” is used in the specification or the claims, it is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as that term is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “or” is employed (e.g., A or B) it is intended to mean “A or B or both.” When the applicants intend to indicate “only A or B but not both” then the term “only A or B but not both” will be employed. Thus, use of the term “or” herein is the inclusive, and not the exclusive use. See, Bryan A. Garner, A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage 624 (2d. Ed. 1995). Also, to the extent that the terms “in” or “into” are used in the specification or the claims, it is intended to additionally mean “on” or “onto.” Furthermore, to the extent the term “connect” is used in the specification or claims, it is intended to mean not only “directly connected to,” but also “indirectly connected to” such as connected through another component or components.

While the present application has been illustrated by the description of embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the application, in its broader aspects, is not limited to the specific details, the representative apparatus and method, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the applicant's general inventive concept. 

What is claimed:
 1. A pallet stacking system for stacking, storing, and transporting a plurality of articles having an upper face and a bottom face, the pallet stacking system comprising: a base pallet having a body with a top side and a bottom side, the base pallet further comprising: a recess disposed on the top side for receiving the bottom face of a first article, and a plurality of elongated legs extending downward from the bottom side to create a gap between a floor and the body of the base pallet, wherein the gap provides a space for receiving a fork.
 2. The pallet stacking system of claim 1, wherein the recess is circular.
 3. The pallet stacking system of claim 1, wherein the recess is a round pocket formed into the top side of the body and extends below the bottom side of the body.
 4. The pallet stacking system of claim 1, wherein the recess is sized to receive the bottom face of the first article in a tight fitting fashion.
 5. The pallet stacking system of claim 1, wherein the base pallet includes a plurality of recesses, where a first group of the plurality of recesses are sized to receive the bottom face of the first article and a second group of the plurality of recesses are sized to receive a bottom face of a differently sized article.
 6. The pallet stacking system of claim 1, wherein the base pallet includes four recesses.
 7. The pallet stacking system of claim 1, wherein the base pallet includes at least two elongated legs, and wherein the elongated legs and a ceiling of the gap define at least one channel for receiving a fork.
 8. The pallet stacking system of claim 1, wherein the base pallet includes a plurality of elongated pockets that each respectively correspond with the elongated legs.
 9. The pallet stacking system of claim 1, wherein the pallet stacking system further comprises a divider having a body with a top side and a bottom side, and the divider further comprises: a pocket disposed on the top side for receiving the bottom face of a second article that is arranged above the first article, and a bulge disposed at the bottom side that nests into the top face of the first article.
 10. The pallet stacking system of claim 9, wherein the pocket is circular.
 11. The pallet stacking system of claim 9, wherein the pocket is a round recess formed into the top side of the divider and extends below the bottom side of the divider.
 12. The pallet stacking system of claim 9, wherein the pocket is sized to receive the bottom face of the second article in a tight fitting fashion.
 13. The pallet stacking system of claim 9, wherein the divider includes a plurality of pockets, where a first group of the plurality of pockets are sized to receive the bottom face of the second article and a second group of the plurality of pockets are sized to receive a bottom face of a differently sized article.
 14. The pallet stacking system of claim 9, wherein the bulge is a round protrusion extending from the bottom side of the divider.
 15. The pallet stacking system of claim 9, wherein the bulge is sized to receive the top face of the first article in a tight fitting fashion.
 16. The pallet stacking system of claim 9, the divider includes a sleeve extending down from bottom side of the divider, wherein the sleeve is sized to receive an outer circumference of the top face of the first article in a tight fitting fashion.
 17. A pallet stacking system for stacking, storing, and transporting a plurality of articles having an upper face and a bottom face, the pallet staking system comprising: a base pallet having a body with a top side and a bottom side, the base pallet further comprising: a recess disposed on the top side for receiving the bottom face of a first article, and a plurality of elongated legs extending downward from the bottom side to create a gap between a floor and the body of the base pallet, wherein the gap provides a space for receiving a fork; and a divider having a body with a top side and a bottom side, the divider comprising: a pocket disposed on the top side for receiving the bottom face of a second drum that is arranged above the first drum, and a bulge disposed at the bottom side that nests into the top face of the first drum.
 18. The pallet stacking system of claim 17, wherein the recess and the pocket are circular.
 19. A pallet stacking system for stacking, storing, and transporting a plurality of articles having an upper face and a bottom face, the pallet staking system comprising: a base pallet having a body with a top side and a bottom side, the base pallet further comprising: a recess disposed on the top side for receiving the bottom face of a first article, and a plurality of elongated legs extending downward from the bottom side to create a gap between a floor and the body of the base pallet, wherein the gap provides a space for receiving a fork; and a divider having a body with a top side and a bottom side, the divider comprising: a pocket disposed on the top side for receiving the bottom face of a second drum that is arranged above the first drum, a bulge disposed at the bottom side that nests into the top face of the first drum, and a sleeve extending down from bottom side of the divider, wherein the sleeve is sized to receive an outer circumference of the top face of the first article in a tight fitting fashion.
 20. The pallet stacking system of claim 19, wherein the recess and the pocket are circular. 